The Sun Moon Lake (rì yuè tán 日月潭), located in the middle of Taiwan, with an elevation of 748 meters above sea level, is the only natural big lake in Taiwan (tái wān 台湾). The southern part of Lalu Island (lā lǔ dǎo 拉鲁岛) is shaped like a new moon, and the northern part is shaped like a sun; hence the name Sun Moon Lake. Sun Moon Lake sits at an altitude of 762m in the mountains of Nantou County (nán tóu xiàn 南投县), in central Taiwan. With good weather year-round, accessible sights and tons of outdoor activities to offer, it’s not surprising it's one of Taiwan's most renowned tourist destinations.

Overview

Sun Moon Lake is the largest body of freshwater in Taiwan and has one of the island’s loveliest natural landscapes. At an altitude of 762m, the lake is backed by high-forested mountains and boasts good weather year-round. Boating is popular, both touring in large craft and in DIY rowing boats, as is hiking and biking.

The Sun Moon Lake is the largest lake in Taiwan and one of the most beautiful and most famous tour sites in Asia. Shaped like an irregular rhombus, the eastern part of the Sun Moon Lake is shaped like a round sun while the western part is like a crescent moon. Thus it was named “Sun Moon Lake.” The beauty of the Sun Moon Lake is the calm, turquoise water complemented by the majestic mountains that surround the lake. Layers and layers of mountains and countless mountain peaks can be seen as more distant mountains fade into the sky. Like a mystical Chinese painting, the scenery of the Sun Moon Lake is truly breathtaking.

History

In older English literature it was commonly referred to as Lake Candidius (gān zhì shì hú 干治士湖), after the 17th century Dutch missionary Georgius Candidius. In the middle of the lake is the Lalu Island, which is the holy ground for the Thao tribe (shào zú 邵族).According to legend, a long time ago a group of Thao hunters chased a rare and beautiful white deer for days and days, going up river valleys and across mountain ridges, until finally they entered the mountains of a place called Shuishalian. There they discovered the deep green waters of Sun Moon Lake, and moved their entire tribe to this beautiful place.

The entire area around Sun Moon Lake, including today's Yuchi, Toushe, and Puli, was once known as Shuishalian. During the Qing Dynasty the original Thao settlers were joined by large numbers of Han Chinese and Pingpu Aborigines (píng pǔ yuán zhù mín 平埔原住民) who moved in to cultivate the land, thus forming the cultural diversity of the area.

Under the Japanese colonial era of Taiwan, the Japanese named it the “Jade Island”. When the Japanese occupied Taiwan they channeled water from the upper Zhuoshui River into the lake for hydropower generation, substantially raising the water level and increasing the lake-surface area. The roads built by the Japanese to facilitate hydroelectric construction made travel to the area much more convenient, stimulating tourism at Sun Moon Lake and the development of the surrounding area.

After Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist Government moved to Taiwan, the island was renamed Kuang Hua (“Glorious China”) and in 1978 the local government built a pavilion where annual weddings took place. After Taiwan was restored to China, the construction or renovation of Xuanguang Temple (xuán guāng sì 玄光寺), Xuanzang Temple (xuán zàng sì 玄奘寺), Wenwu Temple (wén wǔ miào 文武庙), and Ci’en Pagoda (cí ēn tǎ 慈恩塔) attracted even more tourists. This transformed Sun Moon Lake from the homeland of the Thao into a hydroelectric powerhouse and ultimately into a famous tourist destination.

Several hydroelectric power plants have been built in the Sun Moon Lake since 1919, including Mingtan (míng tán chōu shuǐ xù néng diàn zhàn 明潭抽水蓄能电站). When the first hydroelectric plant was finished in 1934, it was considered to be one of the most important infrastructure constructions of the time. The Jiji Line railroad (jí jí xiàn 集集线) was built to facilitate the construction.

Climate

The climate in this area is quite temperate with the highest summer temperature being less than 22C (71.6F) and the lowest winter temperature bottoming out at 15C (59F). With such a pleasant climate, it is a top choice as a summer resort. Rain or shine, winter or summer, the lake offers visitors a plethora of picturesque sights. If the scenery of the lake were a wall calendar amazing and breathtaking pictures would be found by turning over each page. The lake is extremely attractive at night. When the water is bathed in moonlight tinged with a layer of thin fog, it gives the appearance of a place existing only in legend.

Formation

Sun Moon Lake lies in the center of the Shuishalian Area (shuǐ shā lián 水沙连), which is a part of Yuchi Township (yú chí xiāng 鱼池乡) in Nantou County. Situated in the western foothills of Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range (中央山脉), between the Western Plain and the mountains, it lies at the center of Nantou County, at a longitude of 120 55 east and a latitude of 23 52 north, connecting Puli Township (pǔ lǐ zhèn 埔里镇) in the north to Renai Township (rén ài xiāng 仁爱乡) in the northeast, Xinyi Township (xìn yì xiāng 信义乡) in the southeast, Shuili Township (shuǐ lǐ xiāng 水里乡) in the southwest and Guoxing Township (guó xìng xiāng 国姓乡) in the northwest.

Because of the folding landscape, and faulting and eroding effects on the neighboring areas of Sun Moon Lake, this area boasts of many mountains and hills. Within this area, there are 13 different-sized basins, steep slopes, and collapsed areas. The basins belong to the Puli Basin Group, a major basin-distribution area, and of these, the Yuchi Basin (yú chí pén dì 鱼池盆地) has the largest surface area (21 square kilometers). Sun Moon Lake (5.4 square kilometers) is the only basin that stores water. The mountains around the Yuchi Basin, including Guokeng Mountain (1,331 meters), Dajian Mountain (dà jiān shān 大尖山), Shuishe Mountain (2,120 meters) etc. belong to the Puli Slate Mountain Region at the converging area of the Nangang River (a fork of the Wu River). The Toushe Basin (tóu shè pén dì 头社盆地) and Chonggui Basin (0.7 square kilometers) are the drainage basins of Zhuoshui River.

Originally, Sun Moon Lake, Toushe, Yuchi, and Puli were all lakes, but because this region is a sunken region of tertiary clay slate strata, and a fault region of clay slate strata, due to changes in the earth’s crust involving folding and sinking, different-sized basins were formed. Those newly formed basins stored water and became lakes again. After a period of time, those lakes dried, and became fertile basins and plains. As for Sun Moon Lake, it is at a higher elevation, experiencing less erosion from rivers. No external grit comes in and the quantity of water flowing in is larger than the quantity flowing out, so it retains its lake waters.

Thao Tribe

The Origin of the Thao

The Thao are the smallest of Taiwan’s indigenous groups, with just over 500 members. In the first decade of the 19th century, the Thao of Shuishalian wielded considerable power over their domains, which covered the lands in and around their six main settlements.

Ancestor Worship and Thao Religious Ceremonies

Ancestor worship stands at the heart of Thao religious beliefs. Every Thao household keeps a "spirit basket" in which articles of clothing belonging to the ancestors are kept and worshipped, symbolizing the eternal communion of the Thao people with their forefathers. All Thao religious rituals and ceremonies include prayers to the ancestors. The "spirit basket" represents one aspect of Thao culture unique among all of Taiwan's indigenous tribes.

The Thao of today continue to perform the cycle of annual rituals followed through the generations in order to secure the continued blessings and favor of their ancestors. Important festivals in the Thao calendar include the Tilling Festival (February), the Seedling Festival (March), the Weeding Festival (May-June), the Hunting and Baiman Festivals (July), and the all-important Annual Harvest Festival (August), which is the traditional start of the Thao New Year.

Pestle Music

Thao New Year ceremonies and celebrations often stretch over half a month in length and always reach their climax soon after the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival (zhōng qiū jié 中秋节). During the night of the “final drinking” ceremony the Thao follow instructions given by their ancestors and engage in lively performances of dancing, singing, and well wishing. The evening air is flooded with song and the sound of exploding firecrackers. It is an experience not easily forgotten. The renowned pestle music (chǔ yīn 杵音) of the Thao is also an important part of Thao New Year activities. A performance is usually held on the last day of the seventh lunar month at the headman's house to announce the formal beginning of the New Year. Pestle music is performed by a number of people wielding wooden pestles of varying lengths, involving the rhythmic pounding of pestles against stone slabs. Pestle music has been an important feature of Thao culture at Sun Moon Lake for more than a half a century.

The Thao of Sun Moon Lake

The Thao are one of Taiwan’s aboriginal groups, and are classified as one of the southern tribes.

In the early Qing Dynasty, the Han people unlawfully encroached upon Thao territory which resulted in armed conflicts. This caused the Thao to flee to other places.

During the late Qing Dynasty, due to the open door policy, even more Han Chinese moved into Aboriginal territory. Owing to a lack of resistance against diseases such as smallpox, the population of the Thao tribe decreased dramatically during the late 18th century. Towards the end of the Qing Dynasty, the population of hundreds dropped down to about 300.

After Taiwan’s Retrocession, the government followed the Japanese method of classifying the Aborigines into nine tribes. Regarding the tribes on the verge of extinction, such as the Thao tribe, they were all classified as a part of the Pingpu (plains) tribe. However, according to the chasing deer legend, the Thao tribe came from Alishan, so in 1951, the Thao tribe was reclassified as part of the Tsou tribe.

However, with time, further research indicated that regarding language, blood relationship, and culture, the Thao are very different from the Tsou tribe.

The Thao people have called themselves “Thao” for generations, and they are proud of their name. During the past 200 hundred years, the Thao tribe has become culturally assimilated to a certain degree. During this process, the Thao people have continued to peacefully with other people groups.

Attractions

Lalu Island

Lalu Island (lā lǔ dǎo 拉鲁岛) which located in the middle of the lake is considered to be the home of the Thao ancestral spirits. It is also called as Guanghua Island (guāng huá dǎo 光华岛). Floating docks and fields surround the island in the shape of the Eight Diagrams.

In October of 1978, the Nantou County Government set up a “Matchmaker Pavilion” on Lalu Island. Visitors to the island used to come here to worship the “Matchmaker god” and make requests concerning marriage. A “Shueishang Group Wedding” would take place before the “Matchmaker Pavilion”. Many young couples would participate in this wedding ceremony. Due to the 921 Earthquake of 1999, the “Matchmaker god” was relocated to the nearby Dragon-Phoenix (Longfong) Temple.

After the 921 Earthquake of 1999, out of respect for the Thao Aborigines, the Nantou County Government changed the island’s name from “Guanghua Island” to “Lalu Island”. The Tourism Bureau's Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area Administration mapped out this island to be the ancestral-spirit island of the Thao, and on October 12, 2000, jiadong trees, regarded as the dwelling place of the Thao’s highest-ranking ancestral spirit, were planted on the island.

Ci-en Pagoda

Ci-en Pagoda (cí ēn tǎ 慈恩塔) is located on Sha Ba Lan Mountain near Sun Moon Lake. It was built by Chiang Kai-Shek in memory of his mother in 1971. The construction was very difficult because the materials had to be shipped over the lake and moved up the mountain. The Ci-en Pagoda is 46 meters in height and has become the famous landmark of Sun Moon Lake. Surrounding the tower are beautiful plants and trees and there are stone tables and chairs for visitors to take a rest. The Ci-en Pagoda overlooks Lalu Island and Sun Moon Lake.

Ci-en Pagoda is an octagonal building; the 3 stories at the base are painted in white, while the 9 stories of the main body are painted in golden red. Tourists can appreciate the magnificent scenery of Sun Moon Lake from the Ci-en Pagoda. The tourists track as long as 700 meters lead to the Ci-en Pagoda. Alongside the track are beautiful trees and flowers, which make the track easy and comfortable to walk along.

Public Transportation: (1) Take the THSR to Taichung Station, continue by Nantou Bus to Sun Moon Lake stop; (2) Take the train to Taipei Railway Station, continue by Guoguang (Kuo-kuang) Bus to Sun Moon Lake stop; (3) Take the train to Taichung Railway Station, continue by Renyou Bus to Sun Moon Lake stop.

Wenwu Temple

Wenwu Temple (wén wǔ sì 文武寺) is located at the shoulder of mountain where is on the north of Sun Moon Lake. It was built in 1938. People worried the water of Sun Moon Lake might cover Longfeng Temple (lóng fèng sì 龙凤寺) and Ihuatang of Shuishotsun, they built Wenwu Temple. The Wenwu Temple is 2 (Longfeng Temple and Ihuatang) in 1. It was rebuilt in 1969. Its gate is face to the north. People pray the Civil Saint of Confucius, the Military Saint of Guangong (guān gōng 关公), and the Established God of two temples at the Wenwu Temple. The temple is popular among students.

Formosa Aboriginal Culture Village (jiǔ zú wén huà cūn 九族文化村) was established in 1986; total area is 62 hectares. The culture village features aboriginal cultures, combining tourism, culture and educational functions. It is located in Yuchi, Nantou County, near Sun Moon Lake. The culture village has made great efforts in updating the amusement facilities and services and has shown the vigorous spirits of the aboriginal tribes.

Formosa Aboriginal Culture Village has five theme parks: the European Gardens, the Aladdin Plaza, the Aboriginal Villages, Amusement Isle and Ti Ka Er Rainforest. Amusement facilities in these five theme parks include joy ride, cultural square, artistic fountain, museums, 3-D theater, aboriginal dance show, etc. The Culture Village is entertaining and educational, perfect for families on holidays.

Public Transportation: (1) Take the THSR to Taichung Station, continue by Nantou Bus (bound for Puli, Sun Moon Lake) to Formosa Aboriginal Culture Village stop; (2) Take the train to Taichung Railway Station, continue by Renyu Bus (bound for Sun Moon Lake) to Formosa Aboriginal Culture Village stop.

Specialties

Chi Li Fish

The chili fish (qí lì yú 奇力鱼) was recorded in Qing Dynasty documents. The Thao called the fish “kiluat”, and the Han Chinese adapted this name to become the “chili fish”. In recent years, an ichthyologist claimed that the chili fish is actually the same variety as the hemiculter leucisculus (Basilewsky) fish that grows in rivers and lakes of low elevation. However, because this fish has a special relationship with the Thao, it has more of a local characteristic here.

The relationship between the chili fish and the Thao is similar to the relationship between the flying fish and the Yami Aborigines. The chili fish is an important source of food for the Thao. It is mainly caught in the spring and summer. In the autumn and winter, the chili fish tend to hide in deeper waters, making it harder to catch them. Because they are small in size, they are usually fried. The Thao also preserve them, and this is one of their famous traditional meals.

Aruzay Fish

The Chinese name of aruzay (qǔ yāo yú 曲腰鱼) makes reference to the fact that its belly is slightly crooked. This is one of the fish varieties that breed extensively in Sun Moon Lake. When former President Chiang Kai-shek visited Sun Moon Lake, the locals presented him with some aruzay. President Chiang greatly enjoyed it, and from that time, it has also been known as “president fish”. Although aruzay is not unique to Sun Moon Lake, those found in Sun Moon Lake tend to be larger, and can grow to over 30 centimeters long. They have a very delicious flavor, with a tender meat quality, which can be steamed or fried. They can also be steamed with bird lime tree fruit, a favorite among the tourists.

Many fishing boats with four-handed fishing nets can be seen at Sun Moon Lake, and these nets are mainly used for catching the aruzay. The bigger the aruzay, the better the taste, because not only is the meat quality good, but the bones are smaller. Artificially bred aruzay is worth NT$1 per gram. A half-kilogram of aruzay with a cooking fee is about NT$800. Another fish found in Sun Moon Lake is called wuchang fish (wǔ chāng yú 武昌鱼), but this type is less numerous; mostly artificially bred, it is larger than the aruzay. It is said that wuchang fish originated in the Songhua River in the northeast part of Mainland China. Due to Sun Moon Lake's depth and cold water, it was imported for breeding in this area.

Assam Black Tea

Sun Moon Lake is Taiwan’s major Assam black tea (ā sà mǔ hóng chá 阿萨姆红茶) production area. In December of 1925, during the Japanese occupation, the Japanese imported tea seeds from Assam Province in India, and attempted to cultivate it in the Sun Moon Lake area’s Yuchih Township. This experiment proved to have outstanding results, and was then promoted extensively, becoming the most famous of Sun Moon Lake’s special teas.

Sun Moon Lake has a high, moist temperature, with a large volume of rain throughout the year, and a high level of humidity. This makes it very similar to the Assam tea production area of India. It has an average rainfall of 2,000 milliliters per year. The moisture content is 85%, and the average temperature is 19.7 degrees Celsius with an atmospheric pressure of 88.7. Every year there are around a total of 1,870 hours of sunshine. In this area, it is possible to produce 3,000 kilograms of Assam black tea per hectare. As for the quality of the black tea grown here, it is of a strong color, and has a rich flavor. It is mainly sent out of the area for marketing, but a small amount is sold locally. Nowadays at Yongshe Village on Maolan Mountain, close to Sun Moon Lake, research work on Assam black tea is still conducted at Yuchih’s Tea Research and Extension Station.

Siberian Ginseng

A precious plant originally produced in the Heilongjiang River Basin and the mountain area of Siberia, Siberian ginseng (cì wǔ jiā 刺五加) is a member of the araliaceae (ivy) family. Because its medicinal effect is as effective as that of ginseng, and because the stem has thorns, it is known in Chinese as “five-thorn ginseng”.

In the “Compendium of Materia Matica”, written by Ming Dynasty scholar Li Shih-jhen (1518-1593), great praise was heaped on Siberian ginseng. He stated, “a vehicle filled of gold, silver, and jewelry is not as valuable as a bundle of Siberian ginseng.” The experimental cultivation of Siberian ginseng in Dalin Village, close to Sun Moon Lake, proved to be successful, and it was greatly promoted within the boundaries of Yuchih Township. Yuchih Township has already become one of the major production areas of Siberian ginseng in Taiwan. The hotels and restaurants in Sun Moon Lake produce meals of a light medicinal flavor to the tourists. Of these, Siberian ginseng is one of the best ingredients, and during your visit to Sun Moon Lake, if you have not experienced the taste of their famous Siberian ginseng, you have truly missed out.

Ailanthus Prickly-ash

The residents of the Shueishalian (Sun Moon Lake) area, regardless of whether they are Aborigines or Han Chinese, all enjoy eating “ailanthus prickly-ash (shí zhū yú 食茱萸)”, which has the nickname “thorny onion”. The locals have developed a unique cooking, food, and drink culture. In addition to cold dressing, deep frying, stewing, and soaking in alcohol, they also make cookies and cakes. The versatility of ailanthus prickly-ash is demonstrated by the fact that it can be cooked using all of these methods.

The tender heart leaves and the tender part of the seedlings are picked for cooking. The most common way to cook these young leaves and young seedlings is to wash them and use salt to rub them into a soft vegetable. They are aromatic, delicious, and easy to add to food. The Thao have their own method of preserving these leaves. They first wash them in water, and then place them in a green bamboo tube, and add some salt, allowing them to become slightly acidic. This results in a superior flavor. Another cooking method involves pounding the leaves into a paste, which then can be used for seasoning. The Han Chinese prefers to deep fry ailanthus prickly-ash, and eat it with soy sauce. They also use it as a condiment when making soup. Its medicinal uses include neutralizing one's body temperature, reducing moisture, germicide functions, and relieving pain. It is mainly used for healing bodily injuries, and for treating rheumatism, colds, cold chest and abdomen, cold fluid retention, and for decoction. Folk remedies follow a “remove the wound, relieve the depression” concept, and in recent years the locals have used the roots and stems of the ailanthus prickly-ash to make wine, producing the famous “ailanthus prickly-ash wine”.

Mushrooms

It is only through visiting an orchard area that one can experience directly picking the product. Through explanations provided, you can learn about the mushroom's cultivation, as well as its gathering method and process. You can also buy some fresh, delicious mushrooms to take home for sampling.

Most of the mushrooms grown in the Sun Moon Lake area are cultivated using the “outer-space bag” method (by means of long, tubular plastic bags filled with synthetic compost). The Dalin Mushroom Orchard Area, which is located about 2 kilometers to the east of the Yuchih administrative area, uses this method. It is the only mushroom tourist orchard in Taiwan, and has a surface area of around 7 hectares. The mushroom production season takes place from March to September. At this time, a constant stream of people involved in the mushroom business come from all over the country. This is also the time when tourists come to purchase the mushrooms.

However, the cultivation and harvesting of mushrooms is different from the cultivation and harvesting of fruit, in that it involves bagging, sterilizing, and inoculation, and these methods are new to the tourists. After being bagged for half a year, the mushrooms can then start to grow. Not only are they high in quality and quantity, they are also very clean. Tourists visiting the Yuchih and Sun Moon Lake area should try to stop by the only tourist mushroom orchards in Taiwan. Mushrooms are one of the best ingredients in Chinese cooking, and have high nutritional value. They are also uncontaminated by pesticides, and contain minerals, vitamins, protein, etc. A western scholar once called them “the steak of vegetables”.

In his research, a Japanese PhD agricultural scholar once noted that mushrooms have anti-carcinogens and reduce cholesterol. Regardless of whether they are fried, deep-fried, boiled, or used in soup, they always taste fresh and delicious, and are well received. Whether you buy them for your own use, or use them as a gift for friends and family, they make a great selection.

Sun Moon Lake

Location: Situated in Shuishe Villeage, Nantou Country, in the middle of Taiwan

Tel: +886-49-285-5668

Opening Hours: The Whole day

Admission Fee: NT 28

Transportation

From Taichung, catch a Renyou bus to Sun Moon Lake (NT212, two hours). There are at least two buses a day (at 8am and 3pm). From Taipei, Kuo Kuang Hao (02-2311 9893) runs buses directly to Sun Moon Lake (NT465, 4½ hours). Buses end their journey in the large car park behind the village.

From Taichung, you can also catch one of the frequent Fengyuan buses to Puli (NT150, one hour) and then transfer to a Fengrong bus to Sun Moon Lake (NT54, 30 minutes, every hour).

From Shuili, Fengrong buses run to Sun Moon Lake (NT49, 30 minutes, hourly). Buses from Puli or Shuili drop you off on the main road by the Visitor Information Centre.

From Shuili, Fengrong buses run to Sun Moon Lake (NT49, 30 minutes, hourly). Buses from Puli or Shuili drop you off on the main road by the Visitor Information Centre.